A Chinese Herbal Preparation, Xiao-Er-An-Shen Decoction, Exerts Neuron Protection by Modulation of Differentiation and Antioxidant Activity in Cultured PC12 Cells

Figure 5

Antioxidation activities of XEASD. (a) An aliquot of 50 μL of extracts and vitamin C (Vit. C) was added to a 150 μL DPPH solution. After incubating for 30 min, the decrease in the absorbance of the mixture was determined at 495 nm. The DPPH radical scavenging effect was expressed as % scavenging relative to control (without samples). (b) A luciferase reporter containing four AREs and a downstream luciferase reporter gene, namely, pARE-Luc, was used as a study tool (upper panel). Cultured PC12 cells, transfected with pARE-Luc, were treated with XEASD extracts (0.3–3.0 mg/mL) for 24 hours. The cell lysates were subjected to luciferase assay. Values are expressed as the fold of increase to basal reading (untreated culture), and they are in mean ± SD, where = 4, each with triplicate samples. Statistical comparison was made with the control; < 0.05; < 0.01.

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